The UFC returned for the promotion's first event of 2025 on Saturday night and there were plenty of highlights at the Apex to make up for lost time.
In the main event, the #6-ranked strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern evened the score with Amanda Ribas by submitting her former foe in the third round.
The Brazilian contender has always been one of the most dangerous submission threats in the division and she proved that once again with a beautiful armbar.
In the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio once again displayed his heart and toughness to produce a remarkable comeback against Carlston Harris, stopping him in the third round.
It was a different contest that won fight of the night however with Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov putting a great middleweight striking battle that ended in controversial circumstances after the referee waved the fight off with just one second left on the clock which left Curtis incredibly frustrated.
Dern took home a performance of the night bonus, as did Cesar Almeida for his knockout over Abdul Razak Alhassan which is sure to be a highlight reel finish that is talked about throughout 2025.
After being dropped in the first round, Almeida kept his composure which can't be said for his opponent, leading to a huge counter from the Brazilian which knocked Alhassan out cold.
Elsewhere on the main card, Christian Rodriguez ended the undefeated streak of Austin Bashi whilst Punahele Soriano continued his welterweight resurgence with a 31-second finish over Uroš Medić.
Check out the full results listed below:
Main Card:
Main event: Mackenzie Dern defeats Amanda Ribas by submission (armbar) at 4:56 of Round 3
Co-main event: Santiago Ponzinibbio defeats Carlston Harris by TKO (strikes) at 3:13 of Round 3
Cesar Almeida defeats Abdul Razak Alhassan by KO (left hand) at 4:16 of Round 1
Roman Kopylov defeats Chris Curtis by TKO (high kick) at 4:59 of Round 3
Christian Rodriguez defeats Austin Bashi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Punahele Soriano defeats Uroš Medić by KO (right hand) at 0:31 of Round 1
Prelims:
Felipe Bunes defeats Jose Johnson by submission (armbar) at 2:04
Marco Tulio defeats Ihor Potieria by TKO (strikes) at 3:04 of Round 1
Thiago Moisés defeats Trey Ogden by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jacobe Smith defeats Preston Parsons by KO (left hand) at 1:13 of Round 1
Ernesta Kareckaitė (29-28, 29-28) defeats Nicolle Caliari by split decision (29-28)
Bruno Lopes defeats Magomed Gadhziyasulov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fatima Kline defeats Viktoriia Dudakova by TKO (strikes) at 4:27 of Round 2
Nurullo Aliev defeats Joe Solecki by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
